1.0 Engineering Drawing and Abstract

ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS
Characteristic impedance
100 W ±15% from 1 to 155MHz.
ACR
15 at 100 MHz, 10 at 155 MHz.
Propagation delay
5.7 ns/m at 100 MHz, max.
Delay skew
48 ns at 100 m, max.

CABLE CONSTRUCTION
Conductor	24 AWG solid annealed copper
Primary lnsulation	FEP fluoropolymer resin on each pair
Jacket	Thermoplastic. Must meet all requirements for the expected life of the cable

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2.0 Scope

This specification defines the requirements for commercially available high performance Category 5 plenum - rated LAN communications cable. The cable design described herein exceeds minimum ANSI / TIA / EIA 568A Category 5 and ISO / IEC 11801 Class D standards in critical transmission characteristics and provides additional specifications for conductor insulation. This specification provides more ACR margin (headroom) at transmission frequencies up to 155 MHz, better electrical balance and temperature / humidity stability for superior long term performance. In addition, this specification calls for a limited - combustible* wire insulation that meets the fire safety stipulation of the NFPA 90A Standard requiring limited - combustible materials in products for use in building plenums.

3.0 Physical

In addition to the applicable requirements of ANSI / ICEA S-80-661 and UL 444, the physical design of the cable shall meet sections 3.1 to 3.6 inclusive.

3.1 Conductor

Conductor shall be 24 AWG solid bare copper and shall conform to the applicable requirements of ANSI / ICEA S-80-661. Minimum dimensions and maximum strand length shall be in accordance with UL 444. Conductor shall also conform to solid annealed copper wire in accordance with ASTM B 3. The section "Dimensions and Permissible Variations" of ASTM B 3 shall be waived.

3.2 Conductor Insulation

Each copper conductor shall be insulated 100% with fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) polymer.

3.3 Pair Assembly

Cable shall consist of 4 insulated conductor pairs. The pair twist length shall be selected by the manufacturer to assure compliance with the transmission requirements of section 6.0.

3.4 Outer Jacket

The core, consisting of 4 insulated conductor pairs, shall be protected with an overall thermoplastic covering generally referred to as an "outer jacket." The jacketing material selected by the manufacturer must meet and maintain the physical, mechanical and electrical requirements of ASTM D 4565 and this specification for the expected life of the cable.

3.5 Color Codes

The color code shall be as shown in Table 3.5.

3.6 Cable Marking and Identification

The cable jacket shall be legibly marked at least every 24 in. by surface printing. The following information shall be provided:

• Manufacturer's Identification
  
• Type of Cable Construction
  
• UL or ETL Verification
  
• CMP Identification Code
  
• Cable Footage Marker
  

4.0 Mechanical

4.1 Conductor Elongation

Minimum elongation of conductors from a finished cable shall be in accordance with ICEA S-90-661.

4.2 Cable Breaking Strength

Finished cable shall have a minimum breaking strength of 400 N (90 lbf) measured in accordance with ASTM D 4565.

4.3 Cable Bend Radius

Finished cable shall withstand a bend radius of 25.4 mm (1 in.) at a temperature of -20°C±1°C without jacket or insulation cracking when tested in accordance with ASTM D 4565.

5.0 Fire Performance

5.1 National Electrical Code--NFPA 70A

The finished cable shall be plenum - rated in accordance with the requirements of National Electrical Code NEC Article 800, UL 444, NFPA 262 (UL 910) and applicable CSA standards.

5.2 Potential Heat Requirement for Limited - Combustible Materials

The insulation material used on the wire pairs in the cable shall conform with the requirement of the NFPA 90A Standard that limited - combustible materials* be used in products installed in building plenums. Limited combustible is measured according to NFPA 259 utilizing the maximum limits for potential heat of 3,500 Btu/lb (8.141 mJ/kg) per NFPA 90A.

6.0 Transmission

Transmission requirements shall conform to all applicable sections of ANSI / TIA / EIA 568A Category 5 and ISO / IEC 11801 Class D except where exceeded by the requirements of sections 6.1 to 6.7, inclusive.

6.1 Capacitance Unbalance: Pair to Ground

The capacitance unbalance to ground at 1 kHz of any pair, measured in accordance with ASTM D 4566, shall not exceed 200 pF per 100 m (328 ft.) at or corrected to a temperature of 20°C.

6.2 Characteristic Impedance and Structural Return Loss (SRL)

Finished cable shall have a characteristic impedance of 100 ohms ±15% in the frequency range from 1 MHz to 155 MHz when measured in accordance with ASTM D 4566 Method 3. The SRL shall be greater than or equal to the values given in Table 6.2 for all frequencies from 1 MHz to 155 MHz for a length of 100 m (328 ft.) or longer.

Table 6.2
Horizontal UTP Cable SRL (Worst Pair)
Frequency (f), MHz	dB
0.772-10	23
10-16	23
16-20	23
20-155	23-10 log(f/20)

6.3 Attenuation

The attenuation of any pair shall meet the requirements of Table 6.3.
The maximum attenuation at elevated temperatures of 40°C and 60°C shall be verified using a factor of 0.4% increase per °C. Attenuation measurements shall be in accordance with ASTM D 4566

Table 6.3
Horizontal UTP Cable ACR (Worst Pair)
Freq., MHz	Attenuation, Max.	NEXT, Min.*	ACR*
0.772	1.8	70	68
1.00	2.0	68	66
4.00	4.1	59	55
8.00	5.8	54	48
10.00	6.5	53	46
16.00	8.2	50	42
20.00	9.3	48	39
25.00	10.4	47	37
31.25	11.7	45	33
62.50	17.0	41	24
100.00	22.0	38	16
155.00	27.0	37	10
* Rounded to nearest dB.

6.4 Near End Cross Talk (NEXT) Loss

The NEXT loss shall meet the requirements of Table 6.3. NEXT measurement shall be in accordance with ASTM D 4566.

6.5 Attenuation to Cross Talk Radio (ACR)

ACR shall meet the requirements of Table 6.3.

6.6 Propagation Delay

The propagation delay of any pair at 100 Mhz shall not exceed 5.7 ns/m.

6.7 Propagation Delay Skew

The maximum phase delay skew between the fastest and slowest pair shall not exceed 18 ns at 100 m when measured in accordance with ASTM D 4566 at -20°C to 60°C.

7.0 Reference Documentation

Copies of referenced standards may be obtained from the following sources:

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 11 W 42nd St. 13th Floor New York, NY 10036 Tel. (212) 642-4900
ISO / IEC 11801	Generic Cabling for Customer Premises
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) 100 Barr Harbor Drive West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959
ASTM B 3-90	Soft or Annealed Copper Wire
ASTM 4565	Cold Bend Test
ASTM D 4566-94	Standard Test Methods for Electrical Performance Properties of Insulations and Jackets for Telecommunications Wire & Cable
ASTM 4565	Physical and Environmental Properties of Insulation and Jackets for Telecommunications Wire & Cable
Insulated Cable Engineers Association P.O. Box 440 South Yarmouth, MA
ANSI / ICEA S-90-661-1994	Communications Wire and Cable for Wiring Premises
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Batterymarch Park Quincey, MA 02269
ANSI / NFPA 70-1996	National Electrical Code (NEC)
NFPA 90A	Standard for the Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems - 1996 Edition
Telecommunications Industries Association (TIA) 2500 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300 Arlington, VA Tel. (703) 907-7700 Fax (703) 907-7727
ANSI / TIA / EIA 568A	Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. 333 Pfingsten Road Northbrook, IL 60062
UL 910	Fire Safety Test
UL 444	Standard for Communications Cable

8.0 Cable Documentation

8.1		Cable Manufacturers' Part Numbers:
		Belden P.O. Box 1980 Richmond, IN 47875 Tel. (317) 983-5200	Datatwist® 350 Part # SQ1701A
		Berk-Tek 132 White Oak Rd. New Holland, PA Tel. (800)-BERKTEK (237-5835)	LANmark®-350 Part# 230600
		Champlain Cable 12 Hercules Dr. Colchester, VT. 05446 Tel. (800) 451-5162	Dataclear® EF Gold
		Essex Group, Inc. Engineered Products Division 1510 Wall St. P.O. Box 1510 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-1510 Tel. (800) 551-8948 Fax (219) 461-5661	427 Cobra™
		General Cable Data/Electronic Products 4 Tesseneer Dr. Highland Heights, KY 41076-9753 Tel. (800) 424-5666 Fax (800) 547-8249	DreamLAN™ 5
		Helix/HiTemp Cables, Inc. 20 Forge Park Franklin, MA 02038 Tel. (508) 541-7700 Fax (508) 541-8122	SuperCat-360 Part# 804508
		Mohawk/CDT 9 Mohawk Dr. Leominster, MA 01453 Tel. (800) 422-9961 Fax (508) 537-4358	MegaLAN™ 400 Part #M55988
		Prestolite Wire Corp. 1 Greenwood Dr. P.O. Box 259 Sidney, NE 69162 Tel. (308) 254-5310	NETLink 2000™ Part # EFP-424BWT02